State Senator Malcolm Smith hosted his monthly Operation Safe Southeast Queens meeting at his district office in Hollis last week, joined Captain John Orelleana of the 103rd Precinct, Officer Carleton Epps from the 105th Precinct, and Sgt. Joanne Gonzalez from the 113th Precinct.

They gave crime statistics for the past month and said it has decreased compared to this time last year. Orelleana said the cold and snowy weather has played a major factor in that.

“I think the weather impacts a lot of things,” he said.

While crime is down, Gonzalez said grand larceny auto is high because many people have been leaving their keys in the car as they let warm it up. People who need heat or shelter might just take it, she said.

She also spoke about the upcoming Youth Summit on March 17 at Campus Magnet High School in Jamaica, where kids and their families are invited to discuss issues in the community.

Additionally, kids can get involved with the Police Explorers, where they train with officers, help with street fairs, and go on ride-alongs.

Many residents said there should be a larger police presence near schools, specifically along Francis Lewis Boulevard and Farmers Boulevard. Orelleana said officers get assigned to places that are known for crime, such as Parsons Boulevard in Jamaica.

Mitchel Ikema, a founder of the Hollis Avenue Community Center in St. Albans, asked why cops couldn’t be put in other areas.

“We can’t predict where the crime is going to happen,” Orelleana said. “We wish we could put cops everywhere, we can’t. We want to put people where we think we can get the best results.”